Publication Date:
2017-04-04
Description:
We report results on the measured high 3He/4He
isotope ratio in western Sicily, interpreted together with the heat data. The study of this sector of the Europe-Africa interaction is crucial to a better understanding of the
tectonics and the geodynamical evolution of the central Mediterranean area. The estimated mantle-derived helium fluxes in the investigated areas are up to 2–3 orders of magnitude greater than those of a stable continental area.
The highest flux, found in the southernmost area near the Sicily Channel, where recent eruptions of the Ferdinandea Island occurred 20 miles out to sea off Sciacca, has been associated with a clear excess of heat flow. Our results indicate that there is an accumulation of magma below the
continental crust of western Sicily that is possibly intruding and out-gassing through roughly N-S trending deep fault systems linked to the mantle, that have an extensional component. Although the identification of these faults is not
sufficiently constrained by our data, they could possibly be linked to the pre-existing faults that originated during the Mesozoic extensional-transtensional tectonic phases.
Description:
Published
Description:
L04312
Description:
partially_open
Keywords:
helium isotopes
;
heat production
;
tectonics
;
03. Hydrosphere::03.04. Chemical and biological::03.04.05. Gases
;
03. Hydrosphere::03.04. Chemical and biological::03.04.06. Hydrothermal systems
;
03. Hydrosphere::03.04. Chemical and biological::03.04.07. Radioactivity and isotopes
;
04. Solid Earth::04.02. Exploration geophysics::04.02.03. Heat flow
;
04. Solid Earth::04.04. Geology::04.04.12. Fluid Geochemistry
;
04. Solid Earth::04.07. Tectonophysics::04.07.03. Heat generation and transport
;
04. Solid Earth::04.07. Tectonophysics::04.07.07. Tectonics
Repository Name:
Istituto Nazionale di Geofisica e Vulcanologia (INGV)
Type:
article
Format:
503 bytes
Format:
134391 bytes
Format:
text/html
Format:
application/pdf
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